Lynne writes:The last few weeks have been overshadowed by Rob’s illness and subsequent major surgery.We have all been praying and thinking of him and Marian and we are so pleased that he is now home and starting the long process of recovery. Chin up, Rob - we know you can smash this!Since Christmas the main focus has been preparing the Parish Profile, which is the document which potential candidates for our vacancy will read to see if they think this would be a good place to work and live. Although the Vacancy Committee wrote it, the lion’s share was done by Rob with his excellent formatting skills. As itemised in the last report, the advertisement is now ‘live’ and we hope that we can shortlist a good field of candidates for interview on the 8th May.As I write this I have just returned from our first Lent Lunch, which was a very enjoyable occasion with a good selection of delicious soups and tasty bread, followed by a hot drink. Donations are invited with the proceeds being shared between the Children’s Society and Christian Aid. We have two more lunches in the pipeline (27th March and 10th April) and would be very pleased to welcome anyone from the parish to join us.Other Easter activities are the Easter Craft Activity Afternoon for children and their parents/carers on the 29th March and the Easter Bazaar on the 5th April.To help us mark the season of Lent, booklets giving 40 daily reflections published by the Church of England were purchased by the church and distributed to the congregation.Easter services will include a special Mothering Sunday service at 9.45 am on the 30th March (during which the Sunday Club will be available for children in Church House); different services during Holy Week (14th - 18th April) at 7.00 pm, culminating in the celebration services on Easter Day, when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Obviously we can only bring these services to you with the co-operation of the visiting clergy and the members of the laity who are willing to write and/or lead certain services.Rob writes:Having seen my contribution to the Parish Profile finished I was looking forward to a break, therefore it came as a great shock during a routine GP appointment to be told I needed further tests, after which I was admitted and transferred to the JR. I remained in hospital for just over two weeks during which time I had major heart surgery. Despite being terrified it was an enormous comfort to have the prayers of the congregation and the Diocese with me. I can’t put into words how much this meant to me. The treatment I received at the Oxford Heart Centre was second to none and their dedication made me feel very humble. I now face three to six months of rehabilitation and as a ‘thank you’ I intend to give it 100% to get back to where I was. Lynne Philpot and Rob Kirk
